Demonstrates a low-cost method to measure surfactant CMC in student labs, indicating its practical application.
A simple tensiometer costing pennies per unit is described for measuring the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of surfactants in student laboratory exercises. The instrument is based on a glass melting point capillary. The CMC is determined by the diminishing capillary rise in the thin tube due to a loss of surface tension with increasingly concentrated surfactant solutions. At the critical micelle concentration, the rapid change in capillary rise ceases and the calculated surface tension remains relatively constant. The equipment is proven by measuring reasonably accurate CMC values for an ionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate, 6.04 ± 0.21 mM) and nonionic (Surfonic JL-80X, 0.22 ± 0.02 mM)surfactant.
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Smith et al. (2009) studied this question.
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